I've been trying to figure this out.
Based on leaving a blank line between each paragraph, and using single spacing, what is the average length, in pages of a Microsoft Word .doc file, of a single Literotica page?

I'm trying to make my first posting at least 3 full Literotica pages long, (though I'd love it to be longer, it is my first posting, so I'm testing the waters here), and I'd like to know the minimum length in pages in Word I'd need to reach that equivalent.

There are so many ways of changing the number of words on a Word page (margins, fonts, font sizes, spacing), that this isn't a useful question. Deal with words instead (which can be found only all Word programs that I know of). I have a big glob of stories here, and a formula of 3,750 words to a Lit. page has always come very close for me.

I'm trying to make my first posting at least 3 full Literotica pages long,

What SR said. That actual word count is 3,767 words +\- about 400 words.
To get three full pages, you need around 11,000 to 15,000 words -- according to MSWord's word count function. (The actual page break is determined by character count of around 14KB, but orphan control, invisible characters, and HTML markup overhead makes character counting an unreliable conversion factor.)

Don't worry about length. Just make it as long as it needs to be. I'd rather have a reader wanting more and asking for a sequel that getting stuffed and wanting to stop before the end.

That's what she said? (Sorry, I just couldn't let the innuendo in your comment go unappreciated )

In all seriousness though, This is spot on! Even stories of equal length can have dramatically different pacing -- and pacing and intensity are at least as important as length! Just make a story that reads well, doesn't jump in too quickly, and leaves the reader feeling satisfied at the end ^_^

I've been trying to figure this out.
Based on leaving a blank line between each paragraph, and using single spacing, what is the average length, in pages of a Microsoft Word .doc file, of a single Literotica page?

I'm trying to make my first posting at least 3 full Literotica pages long, (though I'd love it to be longer, it is my first posting, so I'm testing the waters here), and I'd like to know the minimum length in pages in Word I'd need to reach that equivalent.

Anyone know?

I've copy and pasted one page from one of my stories into a .doc and it comes out to 3,561 words for the first page.

I have one story that is a few lines more than a single Literotica page. I had considered editing it to make it shorter so that it fits into one page, or extending it to make about one and a half pages.

But anonymous sent me feedback saying that he/she liked waiting for the last few sentences.

As to why I wanted a minimum length for my first chapter, it's not because I want to make more readers happy with a longer chapter, it's because I don't (read: can't) write good erotica. So I'm writing a story instead, with the erotica interspersed, mainly as plot devices for now. (Maybe as actual erotica once I get good at it.)

I know that I prefer stories to be at least 3 full pages when I read them, but I've also read many that didn't finish the third page and I still thought they were very good.
It boils down to personal preference, but I really want to get that hook way into them with the first chapter, because then people will tell me what they do or don't like about it. (hopefully politely, but my skin's very thick, so w/e.) Regardless of how it's said, feedback is feedback, and I'll use it to improve my stories when I can.

Do I need to put in a hard page break in my Word .doc for it to reflect as an additional page in Lit?

Hi Meredith!

To answer your question, no. Lit will do all the formatting when they publish your work. No need to worry about that. Just make sure your paragraphs aren't longer than a maximum of 5 sentences. Your readers might find that difficult to read.

Lit will put a space between each paragraph for you, so no need to do that, either.